Love is Patient
by Caitlin51
Summary: Fitz and Skye are assigned to work together on an undercover investigation. However, their cover stories require them to spend a lot of time together...could they find something more than friendship? Fitz/Skye.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hi everyone! I know that this ship is pretty much dead, but I still love them more than anything, so I'm going to write them even if I'm the only one left...I'd be so happy if they ended up together!_

_Anyway, this is set sometime before Ward is found out as Hydra, back when the team was all happy together (remember that?)._

_Please review and enjoy!_

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"I guess I...I just don't understand why _us_, sir." Leo sputtered, more confused than he had ever been before.

Skye, standing next to him, added, "Yes, don't you think that maybe Ward and I would be a better match? Or maybe Fitz could go with Simmons." Fitz nodded approvingly beside her.

Coulson leveled them both with a stern gaze - it looked odd on his normally open face. "I need both of your skills on this mission." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "This is not a discussion," he added, "It's an assignment."

"And not at all open to discussion?" Fitz asked, trying not to show how nervous he felt about this unorthodox assignment.

"No," Coulson smiled. "Just try and have some fun with it - think of it as a vacation." Picking up some papers on the desk in front of him, he started reading the top sheet of the stack.

Taking that as a dismissal, Fitz followed Skye silently out of the office, his mind reeling.

...

"Okay, turn left there," Skye instructed, sitting in the passenger seat of the car they had been given for the mission. She was squinting at the map, her brow furrowed. She had the same half frustrated, half confused expression on her face everytime he was able to sneak a glance at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked dryly, well aware that this would be her third attempt to find this particular turn.

"Yes?" she said, sounding a little unsure. Then, she muttered quietly under her breath, "You'd have thought that SHIELD could have given us a GPS along with the car."

She obviously hadn't intended for him to hear that, but he laughed anyway.

Shooting him a surprised look, she joined in.

_It feels good,_Leo thought, gently guiding the steering wheel to turn onto the street she had indicated, _Good to spend time off the Bus and to get to know Skye a little better._

The woman was still a bit of a mystery to him - she was open and easy to talk to, but for some reason, he was always so nervous around her. It made no sense to feel both comfortable and uneasy around someone, but somehow, being around Skye managed it.

"It's that one," Skye interrupted his thoughts, pointing to their right.

Immediately, Leo slowed the car and brought it up against the curb. Putting it into park, he looked at the house.

The trim was a light blue, the house tan, with lots of windows. There was a small lawn, obviously frequently mowed and watered because it appeared to be in good shape, with a cobblestone pathway leading to the front door. In short, it looked about the same as every other house on the street - a typical suburban neighbourhood.

"It looks nice," Skye commented as they both got out of the car and shut the doors.

"Yeah," Leo said. He locked the car and then pulled his new license out of his pocket, making sure he remembered his new last name correctly. "Leo Smith," he muttered, committing it to memory. It wasn't hard - Smith was about the least creative name SHIELD could have come up with.

"Right," Skye nodded, remembering. "Well," she turned to him, her eyes dancing, "Ready to unpack, Mr. Smith?"

He grinned at her nervously. "Ready if you are, Mrs. Smith."

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_Please review and let me know if you liked the beginning!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks for all of your support! I was surprised that this pairing would generate so much interest, but I really appreciate it =). Also, I will talk more about the details of their mission next chapter. Enjoy!_

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"Pass me the extension cord?" Skye asked Fitz without looking up from her position in front of the mess of cables on the floor.

"Any particular one? You have three," he pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged. He handed it to her, and she connected it to the wall outlet.

Today was their first real day and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, living in their newly purchased suburban house. Skye thought that she would have been much more excited to be on an undercover mission if it wasn't a requirement to unpack before they could do any investigating. Their current project was high priority - all of Skye's computer equipment. She wouldn't be much use without her computer set-up.

"There," she smiled in satisfaction, plugging the last power cord into the grey extension cord. She sat back on her heels and brushed her hair out of her face. "Now it just needs some organization, and then I'll be done."

"Looking good," Fitz smiled at her from the other side of the master bedroom where he had been carefully unpacking all her equipment for her. They had thought about putting her computer stuff in their actual office, but then had decided against it because the specialized machinery didn't really fit either of their covers. It was safer in the privacy of their room. Instead, in the office, they decided just to put Fitz's laptop and maybe a couple spare cords or speakers so that it had the right appearance.

She was just about to return to her efforts to organize her space when Fitz's voice interrupted her, sounding slightly nervous. "I'm famished - do you want to take a break for lunch?"

It was tempting to just stay and finish, but Skye knew that it was important to spend time with Fitz, especially if they were going to convince people that they really were a newly married couple. "Yeah," she replied with only a slight hesitation. "That sounds nice."

Fitz apparently didn't notice any sign of her reluctance, because he brightened up immediately and jumped to his feet. "I noticed a sandwich place downtown on our way in," he volunteered hopefully.

Skye laughed at the eager look in his eyes. "I like sandwiches."

"Oh good," he replied in mock relief. "I don't know if I could be married to someone who didn't like sandwiches." He groaned playfully as she punched him in the arm.

...

Fitz was right - there was a little sandwich shop located downtown, in between a small woman's gym and a bead shop. It looked like a quaint place - there was a faded sign proclaiming that they were entering 'Sam's Sandwiches' and a bell on the door that signaled their arrival.

Fitz opened the door for her. Skye guessed that that shouldn't be unusual, but most men that she had gone out with had only done that when they really wanted to impress her. With Fitz, the gesture seemed automatic and adorable.

"Thank you," she muttered, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks. Why was she blushing? All he did was open a door, after all.

The place was nearly deserted; the only other patron was an elderly couple in the corner. "Where would you like to sit, sweetheart?" Fitz placed a hand on the small of her back as he asked the question.

His fingers felt hot through the fabric of her light blouse and she shivered at the contact. "Umm, by the window?" It took all her self-control to keep her voice steady and to not shy away from the somehow intimate contact.

"Good idea," Fitz confirmed, guiding her there and holding her chair for her before he took his seat across the small table from her.

"Wait," Skye's brain finally caught up. "What did you call me?"

Fitz looked confused and took a moment to respond. "Err, sweetheart?"  
"Yeah."

"You don't like it?" Now he looked crestfallen and he wouldn't meet her eyes. His fingers traced designs on the table, a nervous habit of his.

"No," she rushed to reassure him. "I guess it's fine. I was just caught off guard, you know." Reaching across the table, she caught his hand in hers, stilling his restless fingers. "It makes sense that you would call me something other than 'Skye.'"

Fitz looked up and smiled slightly, squeezing her fingers. Even the light pressure made her breath hitch. "We could negotiate," he offered. "What would you rather I called you?"

"Hmm," she considered, not breaking their contact even though it distracted her. "I like 'honey' or 'darling.'

"Darling," Fitz tried it out, the word rolling off of his tongue. In his Scottish accent, it sounded even better than Skye could have imagined. "I like it."

"Can I take your order?" A blonde, curvy waitress approached their table and handed them both tall glasses of ice water, her expression clearly showing just how bored she was.

"I'll get prosciutto with mozzarella and a touch of pesto on a baguette, please." Skye couldn't help but smile as he named his favourite sandwich. "And you like ham and swiss, right darling?" he asked her, his expression playful.

She liked the way the endearment sounded directed at her. "Yeah," she agreed. "Spot on, actually."

He looked pretty pleased with himself as the waitress left with their order.

"So, what should I call you, then?" Skye took a sip of her water as they waited. It was pleasantly cool after being in the car. The drive hadn't been long enough for the air conditioning to really kick in.

"Well, Leo for one. Since our last name is Smith, you can't call me Fitz anymore."

Skye furrowed her brow. _Leo. _That particular detail hadn't even occurred to her, so she was glad that he had thought about it.

"Your sandwiches," the waitress interrupted in the same bored tone and placed a tray with two sandwiches on their table. She left before either of them could thank her.

"Leo," Skye said out loud as they disentangled their hands so that they could eat. "Okay, I can get used to that." She picked up her sandwich and took a bite. It was good - everyone else thought that she had bland tastes, but she liked it. "How's your sandwich?"

"Not as good as Jemma makes," he commented with a chuckle, "but pretty tasty."

They both ate for a little while in silence. Finally, Skye sipped her water to clear her mouth and asked, "So, Leo, how did we meet?" She figured that the more they practiced, the more natural it would be.

"Well," he played along, "You were at the University of Baltimore studying English when you decided to travel to Scotland on a study abroad. You were really interested in studying there because the literature was so varied."

Skye wrinkled her nose. "I still am nervous about the fact that my cover has me as an English major." She knew less than nothing about literature, especially not Scottish literature, which was presumably her specialty.

"You'll be fine," Fitz - no, Leo - reassured her. "Your turn." He took another bite of his sandwich.

Picking up the story, Skye continued, "I didn't have a car - just a bike. And I ran over you, so I insisted on treating you to lunch."

"We hit it off and I followed you back to America after your study abroad ended as a surprise," Leo finished.

"We have this down," Skye smiled, pleased at how easily it had flowed.

"You all done?" Leo asked. At her nod, he left some cash on the table and they both stood. "We should get back to work - tomorrow will be busy and I won't be able to help you unpack as much."

Skye nodded understandably. Tomorrow was Leo's first day at his fake new job with the engineering school that they were investigating. "I can handle it."

"I know." Leo took her hand again as they walked out of the restaurant.

_This might be the hardest part of the mission, _Skye thought, feeling butterflies in her stomach at the contact. _I am obviously much more attracted to Leo than I should be._

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_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, or followed so far. You support means a lot! Now, the details of the mission are revealed, so enjoy =)._

_Also, fans of my fic 'Just the Girl' might notice a reference to my favourite chapter, although I reversed the roles =)._

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Leo walked up to the front door. His front door. He knew that it had only been a couple of days since he and Skye had moved in, but already he was feeling at home. Occasionally, he even had to remind himself that he was on a mission and that his 'new' life was all fake.

Reaching out, he tried the knob. Locked. He groaned and pushed the doorbell. For someone who had spent a fair portion of her life living in a van, Skye sure was paranoid about locking the door. Leo, however, was the opposite. This was the third day in a row that he had forgotten his key.

"Leo," Skye opened the door, her cheeks flushed and her breath fast. There was a smudge of something white on her nose as well. She was a beautiful sight after a long day at work. "Forgot your key again?"

"Always." He smiled at her charmingly. "Why're you out of breath?"

"Well," she skipped backwards to allow him to enter. "I decided to give this whole 'homemaker' thing a try and I've been cooking and baking and…" her voice trailed off as she looked at Leo, standing frozen in the doorway. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he breathed, inhaling deeply. "I was just surprised that you cooked and it smells...good."

"Hey," Skye cried, looking outraged. "I'm a great cook. And I was bored."

"You set pasta on fire," Fitz chuckled, remembering the incident that had triggered the smoke alarm and had required use of the fire extinguisher to stop the whole kitchen from going up.

"One time," she replied defensively, but he could see a slight smile playing on her lips. "And I didn't see you being much help."

"I put the fire out."

"You were laughing so hard that you had trouble aiming the fire extinguisher."

"I was not. On a different note," Leo changed the subject, "I'm starving."

They both walked down the hall and into the kitchen. The sight that greeted Leo made him stop, frozen, for the second time since coming home. The dining room table was piled with food. There was a pasta dish in a red sauce, salad, and about a hundred chocolate chip cookies.

Skye looked a little contrite. "I might have gone a little overboard," she admitted.

"Just how bored were you?"

Skye threw her hands up. "Three days of doing _nothing _- it's driving me crazy!"

Leo stepped closer to her and rubbed the smudge of what looked like flour off the bridge of her nose. "Shouldn't you be hacking the school?"

She looked deep into his eyes. "I'm working on it. It takes time."

"We have time," he muttered, smoothing a lock of her hair behind her ears. "I'm in no hurry to leave."

"Me neither," she whispered so softly that he had to lean even closer to her to hear. Their lips were only a centimeter apart. Leo closed his eyes.

A piercing beep startled them both, making them jump apart.

"Oh, that's my...my cookies." Skye pointed towards the oven, a blush reddening her cheeks.

"More?" he teased half-heartedly, bitterly regretting that the oven had ruined the moment.

"I thought we could give them out to the neighbours, make some friends." The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted out of the oven as she opened the door and pulled out the tray.

"That smells heavenly." He reached for one, but Skye moved the tray.

"After dinner," she scolded with a teasing glint in her eyes.

He rolled his eyes. "I have the meanest fake wife."

She laughed. He realized that he really liked it when he made her laugh.

...

Skye had dinner all ready, so dishing up was fast.

"So, did you find out anything at work today?" Skye asked, taking a sip of her water.

"I finally met my boss, Dean Ryder." Fitz's assignment in this mission was to go undercover at Ryder's specialty engineering school as an instructor. The school only admitted geniuses - there was serious competition to be admitted. However, SHIELD had been hearing rumours that the school was actually a front for an illegal weapons operation, using the genius students to create better explosives. They needed proof – that was Fitz's job.

Skye's part of the mission was to hack into Ryder's computer system and try to locate his contacts. If they were going to take down the whole operation, they needed to know who was buying the weapons.

"Suspicious?"

Fitz shrugged. "Actually, he seemed pretty nice. He invited us over for dinner this weekend." He took his first bite. "This is actually quite good, thank you."

"I told you I could cook," she smiled in satisfaction. "And dinner is a perfect opportunity for us."

"How so?" The thought of dinner with a possible arms dealer didn't thrill Fitz. And, under stress, he was afraid that he would panic and wouldn't be able to remember their cover stories.

"I can plant some bugs to speed up my part of the operation; you can get Ryder to trust you."

Fitz nodded and took another bite of his pasta. It was a tangy sauce and actually did taste reasonably good, considering this was Skye's first successful foray into cooking.

"You didn't learn anything else?

"You finished?" At Skye's nod, Leo took her plate and his and walked over to the dishwasher to start packing up. "I did learn one other thing, possibly," he said over the rattle of dishes.

"Possibly?" Skye followed him with the leftovers to start putting them into tupperware containers.

"It might not mean anything, but Ryder won't let me go to the top floor. It's where they hold the upper-level classes."

"That's strange," Skye agreed. "Did he give a reason?"

"I'm not qualified." He accompanies the word 'qualified' with air quotes. "Coulson apparently understated my abilities on my application."

Skye laughed dryly. "That's okay, my only abilities are analyzing Scottish literature. I think you got a better deal."

Her comment made him smile. "I pity anyone who underestimates you." He said it lightly, but it carried more meaning than he wanted her to know. When he first met her, he had underestimated her. She was just some girl who was good with computers and had questionable loyalty. Now she was someone that lit up his day with her smile and made him giddy with his laugh.

"I'll finish up here, since you cooked and all," he commented nervously, breaking the long silence.

"Right. Thanks." Apparently she had felt as awkward as he had, because she made her escape quickly.

The mission was rapidly becoming more and more complicated.

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_Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

"How're you feeling?" Skye looked over at Leo in concern. He was ashen-faced and his knuckles were white on the bouquet of flowers.

"Fine," Leo gritted out between clenched teeth.

Skye sighed. _ Men_. "I can tell you're nervous. That's okay." She was trying to be reassuring but it didn't seem to be doing much.

"I'm not nervous," he claimed immediately. However, his grip on the flowers didn't relax. "I just think that tonight is going to be an absolute disaster and that the mission will be ruined and then you will…"  
"Leo," Skye laughed at his nervous babbling, trying to get him to see that he was overreacting. "Everything's going to be fine. We practiced, remember?"

"I'm not a field agent, Skye," he said seriously. "There's a reason for that. I panic under pressure."

Skye opened the car door and stepped out into the warm air, breathing in the sweet scent of flowers. Leo didn't follow suit.

Poking her head down and into the car, she smiled charmingly at him. "It's just dinner. Come on."

His grumblings were obscured by the sound of the car door opening and shutting as he got out.

"Ready?" Skye held out her hand to him, smiling brightly to disguise the butterflies in her own stomach. This was their first real test as a couple and probably would also be the most important of the mission.

Their target and Leo's boss, Dean Ryder, was the suspected leader of the weapons operation. His invitation to dinner was the perfect opportunity to cement their cover stories and convince him that Leo wouldn't be a threat. Hopefully, if they did their job well enough, Ryder would try to involve Leo in their operation and then it would be a simple matter to take him down. However, all that was contingent on them selling their fake relationship. Normally, Skye wouldn't have worried about it, but based on Leo's current level of nerves, it might be more difficult than she had anticipated.

Hands entwined, they walked up to the front door. Ryder lived in a mansion with three floors and perfectly-manicured grounds, making Skye's temporary suburban home seem tiny and rundown in comparison. She pressed the doorbell with her free hand and whispered to Leo, "If you panic, nudge me somehow and I'll cover for you, okay?"

He nodded quickly just as the door was opened by a dark-haired lady in her mid-forties.

"Welcome to our home." The woman smiled warmly as she ushered them in. "My name is Linda; I'm Dean's wife." She glanced behind her to a large hardwood staircase. "My husband is just finishing up a bit of work and will be down momentarily."

"There's no hurry." Skye grinned and offered Linda her hand. She liked the woman's open manner. "I'm Skye, Leo's wife."

"It's a pleasure." They shook, Linda's grip pleasantly firm. Then the woman turned to Leo with another easy smile. "And Leo Smith. I've heard good things about you from my husband."

"I'm glad." He shifted the flowers so that he could shake her hand as well.

"Leo, honey, the flowers," Skye reminded him.

"Oh, right. These are for you," he rushed to say, proffering the flowers.

She took them and inhaled deeply. "You two are too kind. If you'll follow me to the kitchen, I'll get these into some water before they start to wilt."

The followed her into the kitchen, Skye taking Leo's hand as they walked, hoping that the small gesture would offer some type of moral support.

Linda kept chattering on as they waited for Dean, telling them about the city and how happy they were to have moved into this house and to have started the engineering school.

Finally, Dean Ryder came into the kitchen. He was a big man with a hawkish nose and hard blue eyes. The hair at his temples was starting to go grey, but aside from that, he looked like a man in his prime. Definitely a dangerous man, if things were to go badly later.

For now, he smiled and introduced himself politely and invited them to sit down at the heavily-laden dining room table for dinner.

…

"...and so he followed me back from Scotland, and things kind of progressed from there." Skye smiled and took a sip of her water as their hosts laughed politely at the story.

"So, how long have you two been married?" Linda asked from across the table.

Skye froze. They hadn't discussed that. "Almost a year," she replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Just a few months." Leo said at exactly the same time.

Dean's eyes darkened and his brows narrowed. "You don't know how long you have been married for?" It was an innocent enough question, but Skye could feel his intense scrutiny.

"No, no, we do," Leo gulped shooting Skye a concerned look and nudging her elbow with his.

"Of course we do," she said firmly. "It will be one year next month - the 15th."

Under the table, she kicked Leo sharply. "Oww...I mean, wow," he recovered. "Time flies when you're so happy and have such a beautiful wife with such strong legs." He took a bite of his chicken so he wouldn't have to keep talking.

"So," Skye leaned forward. "Leo has told me a little bit about your school, but I was hoping you could tell me a bit about your higher level students. It all sounds so fascinating." She batted her eyes vacantly, trying to look like she was just making polite conversation.

Dean wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Unfortunately, there isn't much I can tell you," he replied. "The advanced students are involved in a number of extremely complicated projects - the explanations would bore you, I'm sure."

"What type of projects?" Leo jumped in, sounding interested. "And of what difficulty?"

Ryder smiled coldly. "That varies student to student. However, I can assure you that the higher level classes are sufficiently challenging. Rigorous, even."

Linda obviously sensed that the atmosphere in the dining room had become tense, because she picked that moment to ask, "Anyone for dessert?"

The rest of the evening passed without incident, but also without information.

…

"I don't feel like we're getting anywhere," Leo complained as he unlocked the front door. "We still just have suspicions and nothing to back them up."

"Something's up with Ryder, though," Skye replied, following him inside. "I'm thinking that he could be involved in some pretty serious stuff."

"But until we get proof…"

"We keep searching." Acting on impulse, Skye turned to Leo and hugged him.

"There's no one watching," he muttered into her shoulder. "We don't have to keep up the act." Despite his protests, his arms came up to encircle her waist.

"I know." Although she had hugged Leo before, this time felt different. More personal, or maybe intimate was a better word. Either way, she liked the feeling.

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_Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took longer than expected, but please enjoy!_

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A knock sounded at the door. An insistent knock, accompanied by the a couple buzzes of their doorbell.

Sleepily, Leo stumbled out of the spare room, pulling on his discarded T-shirt from yesterday. He hadn't been quite asleep when the cacophony had started, but he had been drifting off and was now disoriented from the rude awakening.

"What's going on?" Skye met him in the hallway between their rooms, wrapped in a thin robe that showed off her figure. Leo took a moment to appreciate how great she looked with her hair tousled and wavy from sleep and a cute surprised expression on her face. She looked much more awake than he felt.

"Haven't a clue," he mumbled. "Got your gun?" He didn't really think that they would need it, but it was better to be cautious. Besides, he wanted her to be able to protect herself just in case there was a threat.

She nodded, and Leo briefly tried to imagine where in her form-fitting robe she could be hiding a weapon. Before he could follow that train of thought further, he realized that he had followed her down the stairs and was standing in front of the door.

Fighting a brief smile at the sight of the locked and bolted door, Leo motioned to Skye to stay back out of the line of sight. Then he unlocked the door and opened it, every muscle in his body tensed for an attack.

It was a boy. A young man, really, who looked to be in his early twenties. "Mr. Smith?" he asked quietly, looking around to see if anyone could hear him.

Leo only paused for a second before responding, "Yes. I'm Mr. Smith. Do you want to come in?"

The boy shook his head. "No, sir." He looked extremely uncomfortable and wouldn't meet Leo's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Skye joined him at the door, her voice full of concern. "I'm Leo's wife," she added as an afterthought. Leo liked hearing her say that much more than he'd admit.

"I'm a student in the advanced classes and I heard that you're really nice, not like the other teachers and so I just wanted to warn you to leave because the school is dangerous," the young man explained all in one breath.

Leo exchanged a glance with Skye, both of them realizing that this young man could be the key to their mission.

"What's your name?" Skye asked gently.

"Sam." His voice was wary.

"Why don't you come in and explain more of what you're talking about, Sam," she offered. Leo was glad that she was handling this; she was much better at talking to people than he was.

His eyes shifted from side to side nervously. "I can't. I can't say anything more. I'm sorry." He turned and walked away, his posture slouched.

Slowly, Leo closed the door and locked it before Skye could remind him. Their eyes met and Leo could see his confusion and worry echoed in her gaze. "That was weird," he finally muttered.

"Yeah," Skye agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

They stood there for a moment more, until Leo finally pointed upstairs and said lamely, "Um, it's late. Or early. I'm going back to bed…"

"Me too," she agreed immediately.

However, once he was back in bed, his mind was too busy thinking about what Sam had said to get any sleep.

…

"Morning," Skye's cheery voice greeted Leo as he finally gave up on the idea of sleep and got out of bed. She was dressed and ready for the day even though it was still pretty early in the morning. Putting her laptop beside her on the couch, she patted the free spot next to her with one hand. "We should talk."

Leo groaned dramatically as he sat down. "You know that we're not actually married, right?" he teased. "You can't use the 'we have to talk' line on me."

She laughed, but took his hand and played along. "But honey, our marriage in is jeopardy. We don't even sleep in the same room." She tried to keep her voice serious, but didn't succeed.

A mischievous twinkle in his eye, Leo replied, "We can fix that."

She glared at him in mock indignation and let go of his hand to cross her arms. "Keep talking like that and you'll be sleeping on the couch."

Laughing, Leo scooted closer to her. "Totally worth it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The temptation to lean in and kiss her was nearly overwhelming, but Leo resisted. Now was not the time, not when they had to talk about the mission and what Sam had told them.

Leaning away from her with a sigh of regret, he changed the subject. "So, Sam."

"He confirmed what we already suspected - that the school is a front for something. Probably weapons."

"But we learned that not everyone wants to be there," Leo added. "Sam didn't look happy to be involved, and he was warning us to get out."

"That just makes me even more determined to find out what's going on and stop it." Skye's voice was grim.

"How's the hack going?" Leo asked. "That's our best bet of finding concrete proof.

"I'm still working on tracking the money given to the school through sponsors, which hopefully will lead me right to the buyers. I should be close."

"Good. I'm going to find Sam and see if he'll talk to me a little more."

"Sounds like a plan."

Getting ready for work, Leo wished that there was no mission. That he and Skye were married, living in a suburban house, and that he taught at a specialty engineering school. It wasn't the first time he had had that thought; he couldn't stop thinking it. He wasn't a field agent and never really wanted to be.

And Skye...Skye was making it harder and harder to control his fantasies of a normal life.

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_Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry again that this chapter was late - I'm having terrible writer's block with this story! Let me know how I'm doing…_

_Enjoy =)._

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The doorbell rang, startling Skye from her position in front of her computer. Automatically, she assumed that it was Leo and that he had forgotten his key again. However, glancing at the clock in the corner of her screen, she ruled out that thought. It was much too early for him to be getting home from work.

Running her fingers quickly along the keyboard, she hid all her important documents that contained information about the mission and her search for the weapons dealers, just in case. Then, she ran down the stairs and to the door. A quick look through the peephole confirmed that it was Dean Ryder standing outside.

_That's weird,_ she thought to herself, feeling her muscles tense up. _He knows that Leo isn't here._

Cautiously, Skye flipped the lock and inched open the door and stood far enough back in the small opening that she was still able to slam the door on him if he proved dangerous.

"Dean," she greeted him with her best fake welcoming smile. "What are you doing here? Leo's at work."

Ryder smiled, a smile that didn't reach his cold, calculating eyes. "I thought I'd drop by for a chat with you."

"Oh, how nice," Skye gushed, unable to think of another appropriate response that wouldn't violate her cover.

Gesturing towards the open door, Ryder asked, "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course." Honestly, Skye didn't want this man in her house - he made her uneasy. But he gave her little choice. Stepping aside, she pulled the door open wide enough for him to enter.

"Do you like chocolate chip cookies?" she asked brightly as she led him down the hall to the couch in the family room. "I baked a large batch the other day and Leo and I just can't eat them all."

"No." The man shot her another tight-lipped smile. "I have to get back to the school soon."

"Then what can I do for you?" It felt awkward to just stand in the hallway with him cold and imposing next to her, but he seemed to be ignoring all her attempts to play the vacant housewife and follow social protocols.

"Well, Mrs. Smith," he sneered her last name, "I'm giving you a friendly warning. Keep your husband out of my business. Or things will get ugly for both of you."

Skye widened her eyes in real surprise, but not for the reason Ryder probably thought. Obviously, Leo had been digging into the school affairs, trying to locate the weapons. However, the part that made her nervous was that Ryder was onto him. That put Leo in danger.

Biting her lip, Skye lied, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't." His condescending tone made her blood boil. "But just pass my message along like a good little girl."

_It's gonna feel so good to take you down,_ Skye thought, fighting the urge to punch the smirk right off his face. Out loud, she said, "I'll let him know. Thanks for stopping by, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have a lot of work to do today."

"I'm sure you do." With a nod at her, Ryder headed towards the door. "I'll see myself out."

The second the door shut behind him, Skye rushed to it and engaged the deadbolt, then pressed herself up against the wall, still trembling with suppressed anger and anxiety.

…

"Skye? Are you okay?" The sound of Leo's worried voice penetrated Skye's concentration.

"Wha?" she looked up from her computer screen, feeling disoriented from the interruption. "Oh, Leo. Hi. I didn't hear you come in."

Relaxing now that Skye was acting like a normal person, Leo smiled and held up a small gold key. "Remembered it today."

"That's a first."

He chuckled and came to stand behind her chair, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder. The contact felt familiar and comforting. "What're you so focused on?"

The swivel chair squeaked as she stood up to face him, a proud smile gracing her features. "I've got them - the people 'sponsoring' the school. Almost all of them have rap sheets, so I'm pretty sure I've got the right guys."

"So," an equally large smile spread across his face, "all we need now is proof that they are making and marketing the weapons, and then we've got them?"

"Yep." Then Skye's smile fell. "There's one catch, though."

Immediately, Leo's eyes displayed concern. "Skye, what happened?"

She took a deep breath, not wanting to upset him, but not able to keep Ryder's visit a secret either. "Ryder came over today and told me to pass a message onto you." She paused, watching as his face hardened. "He told you to stop meddling in his business." After a second's deliberation, she decided not to mention the vague threat that had gone along with the warning. She didn't want him worrying about her unnecessarily.

"That's not good," Leo sighed heavily, brushing a hand across his face. "He didn't say anything else? Like why he was suspicious?"

Skye shook her head. "Nothing. And I wasn't exactly going to break my cover and ask." Then, impulsively, she put her hand on his arm. "So be careful, okay?"  
"I will," he promised. "Especially because I managed to contact Sam and set up another meeting with him tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to convince him to tell me more about what's going on."

Skye chose her words carefully, because she could tell that Leo was excited about his success with Sam and she didn't want to burst his bubble, but she was also worried about Ryder. "That's great, Leo, but do you think it's a smart move, with Ryder onto us?"

He shrugged. "We'll be fine."

"But-"

"Skye, it's okay." He looked her deep in the eyes. "I have to do this; there aren't any other leads."

She knew he was right, but that didn't do much to calm her worries. Leo was rapidly becoming more important to her than the mission, and she didn't know what she would do if Ryder carried through on his threats.

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_Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I'm glad to hear that you guys are still enjoying the story! Here's the next chapter =)._

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The sun was sitting on the horizon as Leo and Skye strode into the park, Skye's hand securely clasped in Leo's.

"Where are you meeting him?" Skye asked quietly as they strolled around, pretending to admire the colourful flowerbeds.

"I'm not entirely sure," Leo replied honestly. "He just told me to come here and he'd take care of the rest."

"Isn't it a little public? Especially for a secret meet?"

Chuckling, Leo squeezed her hand reassuringly. "He's a smart kid; he'll figure out how to talk without attracting attention." Leo knew that he should be keeping an eye out for Sam, but he was finding it hard to focus on the mission with Skye next to him, the light of the setting sun bathing her face in warmth and making strands of her hair glow golden. She took his breath away with every smile, which was a problem because she smiled at him often.

"I think that's him," Skye's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he realized that he had been staring at her. Thankfully, she seemed to be too preoccupied with the mission to have noticed his attention.

A figure in a black hoodie and jeans caught Leo's attention. His hood was up, obscuring his features, but he was staring directly at Leo from a yard away. Then, the figure inclined his head to the left meaningfully and started in the direction he had indicated.

"That's our cue," Leo tugged Skye's hand and the two set off after Sam, hoping to find the vital information they needed.

...

"Why'd you bring her along?" was the first question Sam asked once they had reached their destination - a dried up creek bed underneath a decrepit bridge. He gestured at Skye for emphasis.

Leo forced himself not to glare at the boy, reminding himself that they needed his help. Still, he didn't like him being rude to Skye. "She's my wife," he finally replied. "We can trust her."

Sam didn't look convinced and the wary look certainly didn't leave his eyes. "I don't trust anyone," he whispered hoarsely. "If he finds out that I'm here, even…" They didn't need to ask who 'he' was - Ryder was clearly the one in control of the poor students and the school.

Skye stepped forward, a look of compassion on her face. "Sam, don't worry about that. If you help us, we…" she hesitated and glanced at Leo. He nodded, understanding that she was asking permission to break their covers. "We can arrange protection for you. We know people, people that can keep you safe."

Sounding doubtful, Sam asked, "Why should I believe you?"

Leo reached into his pocket, pulled out his SHIELD badge, and held it up for Sam's inspection. "That's why."

Instead of looking relieved, Sam looked even more apprehensive. "You're some kind of government agent? You're not going to arrest me, right?"  
"Of course not," Skye interjected soothingly. "We just want to protect you in exchange for information about Ryder and the school."

There was a moment of silence as the young man thought, then reached a decision. "Okay," he agreed. "But I want that protection."

"Start from the beginning," Leo ordered, nodding his head in agreement. "What's going on at the school?"

"In the lower classes, nothing," Sam rubbed his hands together nervously. "But once you get to the higher ones, all you learn about are weapons - guns and bombs and stuff like that. And instead of having homework or exams, all we do is come up with new tech for those weapons and try to build working prototypes."

Leo exchanged a knowing look with Skye. Their suspicions had been confirmed; all that was left was to find the weapons as proof to take down Ryder's operation.

"Where do they hide the completed projects?" Leo asked, hardly daring to breath in his excitement to find the last piece of the puzzle. "They have to be in the school."

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "You'd have to search for them. Can I get that protection now?"

Hanging his head in disappointment, Leo nodded to Skye, who took out her phone and started arranging the details of Sam's protection with Coulson.

A couple minutes passed before Skye hung up and addressed Sam. "You have a bodyguard on the way, but we can't extract you. We don't want to alert Ryder that we're on to him."

Sam stared at them in disbelief mingling with horror. "He'll kill me."

"Your bodyguard-"

"-won't help me when I'm in classes." Before they could say another word, Sam whirled angrily and ran away into the night.

Leo let out a breath. "That didn't go nearly as smoothly as I had hoped."

"Yeah, not really," Skye agreed. "But there is some good news: Coulson did mention that Ward is well on his way to taking down Ryder's buyers."

"Finally, something going according to plan," he muttered, still frustrated that Sam had done little more than confirm what they already knew.  
"Calm down, Leo," Skye moved to stand in front of him and put her hand on his arm, her skin soft on his. "It's not a huge setback; we'll just have to find a way to break into the school and find our evid-"

Leo didn't stop to think. She was standing in front of him, it was getting dark, and the feeling of her touch tipped the balance. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle caress, hoping that she would reciprocate. For a brief moment, there was no response on her part and Leo was just about to pull back and try to awkwardly explain his actions, when she stepped closer and to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Finally," she breathed, her voice low and sexy.

Leo just captured her mouth with his again, this time being much less tentative. He could have sworn that there were sparks flying between them and the sensation of her lips sent tingles through his body.

Finally, she pulled away with a sigh. "It's late. We should...uh...go home."

"Right. Yeah." Leo wrapped an arm around her waist, not ready to let her go completely.

Neither of them spoke on the ride home, both realizing that the sexual tension between them was a bit of an unexpected problem. Technically, it was against SHIELD rules, even.

Leo didn't mind one bit.

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_Please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry that this chapter is coming pretty late; I've been busy with school starting up again and unpacking and everything. Anyway, enjoy!_

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Skye woke up happy, feeling both refreshed and excited to face the day ahead of her. The sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window matched her mood exactly.

Leo had finally kissed her.

It had been a surprise, if she was being honest with herself, but a welcome surprise. Until his lips met hers, she hadn't realized how badly she had wanted him. How badly she had needed him. And now, now there was something there between them. Something magical and exciting and new.

Pushing back the covers, Skye climbed out of bed and stretched luxuriously, trying to force herself to take her time and get ready for the morning instead of rushing out to see Leo. It was a struggle, but she used the en suite bathroom to brush her teeth and tie her hair up into a simple ponytail before she finally granted herself permission to go find him.

Padding barefoot down the stairs, Skye tried to keep her excitement contained. She knew that she was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush, but she couldn't help herself. Something about this relationship just felt so easy and right, a way it never had with Miles or with her brief infatuation with Ward.

"Leo?" Her call echoed through the house, but there was no response. Her heart sank slightly. A part of her had known that he might have already left for work, but she had hoped that he would have stayed long enough to at least wish her a good morning.

Flicking the overhead light on, Skye entered the kitchen. If she couldn't have Leo, at least she could have food. To her surprise, on the table was a deep red rose with a small white card leaning against the stem.

Picking up the card, she read:

_Skye,_

_ I had to leave for work early today. Sorry about that. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that you're beautiful and that kissing you was the best decision I could have made._

_~Leo_

The note was simple, but sweet, and Skye found herself smiling while she read it. Sometimes she was convinced that Leo was the most thoughtful man she had ever met.

Carefully folding the note back up, she left it where she had found it, resolving to put it somewhere safe after she ate breakfast.

Just as she was about to open the fridge, a knock sounded at the door. "Coming," she yelled, glancing regretfully at the fridge. Eating was apparently going to have to wait.

There was a small shoe rack beside the door. Leo had brought it home after Ryder had threatened her and had stashed a night-night gun in the bottom, hidden by a pair of her heels. The gesture showing his concern for her safety had touched Skye, but she had thought it silly at the time. Now, however, she was glad for the precaution, especially since the only people other than Leo who knew where she lived were both potentially dangerous: Ryder and Sam.

The gun felt heavy in her hands. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she certainly wasn't going to answer the door unarmed and unprotected. However, on the off chance it was a neighbour, she didn't want to scare them, so she tucked the gun under the waistbelt of her jeans and arranged her baggy shirt over it so that there would be no sign of the weapon.

The knock sounded again, startling Skye. Slowly, she crept to the door and peered out the peephole. Ryder. Her suspicions confirmed, she took a deep, calming breath. She couldn't ignore him - their cover stories were too important to risk coming off as rude. It was too out of character for Skye Smith. So, she twisted the lock and opened the door just wide enough to see out of.

"Dean," she greeted him with false enthusiasm. "Now's a bad time. Could you come back later?" And by later, she meant never, but she couldn't say that. However, if she bought some time, she could get cameras set up and backup in place just in case he let something slip.

"I don't know what you think you are doing, little girl," he hissed, his face displaying thinly-veiled rage as he pushed against the door, forcing Skye back, "but you are messing with forces far beyond your capabilities."

Gritting her teeth with the effort, Skye desperately tried to stop him from entering, but it was no use. He was far too much stronger than she was. Now she regretted opening the door. "You're scaring me." It was the truth, but it was also a statement designed to keep her cover safe.

Finally succeeding, Ryder slid into the house and grabbed her wrist in an iron grip, not even flinching as the door slammed shut behind him. "I don't think that you're actually scared," he sneered at her, a knowing look in his eyes. "Government agents are pretty brave, I hear."

Skye's blood ran cold. He knew. "Then you know you're making a huge mistake." If she was hoping to scare him, she would be disappointed. This was not the sort of man that could be intimidated.

"Oh well," he shrugged, not appearing affected by her vague threat. "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"Leo won't abandon me."

Ryder shrugged again, a cold smile forming on his lips. "I'm counting on it." He pulled a gun out of his pocket with his spare hand and pointed it at her head. "That way I'll be able to take care of both of you at once. Terribly convenient that way."

Skye scowled at him, but she had no response that would help matters at all, so she stayed silent. She refused to give him the satisfaction of an argument.

"Now, move," he ordered, gesturing with the gun towards the door.

She didn't ask where; she just did as she was ordered and opened the door, stepping outside onto the front mat. An idea formed in her mind as she did so. It was a pathetic thought, but it was the only way she could think of to warn Leo that she hadn't left of her own free will.

She left the door unlocked.

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_Please leave a review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: So, we are coming to the end of this fic - this is the second to last chapter! I hope you all have liked it so far and that you keep letting me know your thoughts._

_Enjoy!_

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Leo reached out a touched the doorknob, feeling tired after a long day at work. Working his cover job was something that he really enjoyed, but sometimes it just wiped him out and made him wish that he could just come home to Skye and forget about the mission for a little while. However, that wasn't really an option.

The doorknob turned easily under his touch and the door swung open, revealing the dark front entryway.

Something was wrong.

Instantly, Leo went into full alert, all his muscles tensing up, preparing for whatever was waiting for him. The house, once warm and cheery, now felt threatening and cold.

"Skye?" he called, aware that his question would alert both her and anybody else around, but unable to stop himself. He doubted that she would answer him, though. The door wouldn't have been unlocked if she was home or if she had left voluntarily, so all the clues led to a kidnapping.

Leo took a cautious step into the front foyer, immediately bending down to check the night-night gun he kept near the door for Skye's protection. It was gone. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better about the situation or worse. On one hand, at least she was armed and able to protect herself against her captors, but on the other hand, it meant that whoever took her scared her enough for her to grab the gun.

That meant that it must be Ryder.

He was the only person that could have made Skye nervous and cautious enough to take the gun, but also someone that she couldn't just ignore.

"Skye?" his voice was still cautious as he inched into the shadowed kitchen, but he was pretty much convinced that Skye wouldn't be there.

Under his tightly controlled exterior, Leo felt rage building up inside him and threatening to consume his rationality. How dare Ryder take Skye? Their relationship was finally progressing, and he couldn't help but seethe at the injustice of it all. And if he had hurt her… His hands balled up into fists so tight that his knuckles started to turn white. No. He couldn't even think of that. Skye was fine. She had to be.

In the dim lighting, a small, red light blinked on and off - the answering machine

Gingerly, Leo pressed the button and Skye's familiar voice met his ears. "Leo, it's Skye. I found what we needed. Meet me at the school as soon as you get this."

A beep sounded and the call disconnected. Ignoring the machine's automated menu, Leo turned the recording off and mulled over the message. It sounded normal. It could be nothing, but with the door unlocked and the gun gone, Leo was too terrified for her sake to believe that possibility.

He grabbed the extra night-night gun from upstairs and headed back to the school.

…

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Smith," a voice gulped from just behind Leo, startling him enough that he nearly cried out.

Calming his racing heart, he slowly turned around, one hand resting on the night-night gun carefully concealed beneath his clothes. Sam stood behind him, a pistol held in his shaking hands, the barrel pointed directly at Leo's heart. "Sam."

"I didn't have a choice," the boy swallowed heavily. "They were going to kill me."

Leo thought quickly. Sam didn't want to hurt him - he was a good kid, but he was caught in a scheme far above his head. "Do you know where Ryder took Skye?"

"I'm supposed to escort you there." The young man gestured with the gun towards the school, his expression troubled. "I don't think they hurt her."

Relief hit Leo and nearly made his knees buckle. She was okay. He didn't realize how much tension he had been carrying while worrying if she was dead or injured, but now that was gone, replaced by determination to take down Ryder.

Sam made a shooing motion with his free hand, keeping the gun carefully pointed at Leo.

They made the trip to the school and through the empty, dark quarters in silence, descending down multiple flights of stairs and into an area of the building that Leo had never known had existed. It made sense to hide the weapons cache down here, though, he decided. Far out of the way, a place where no one would accidently stumble onto the stash.

Sam knocked on a door and the sound echoed through the small hallway. On the other side of the door, Leo heard Ryder's distinctive voice granting permission for them to enter. Anger filled Leo again at the sound, heat flooding his body with adrenaline. Skye was in there at the mercy of the tyrant.

"Open it," Sam ordered.

Obeying, Leo opened the door and immediately caught sight of Skye, looking irritated but otherwise unharmed. She was leaning against the wall on his left, her arms crossed in front of her. Her night-night gun was lying on the only mostly bare table in the room, only a couple steps away from her position. Knowing Skye, she had probably been inching towards it with every chance she could take.

The rest of the room was filled with shelves, tables, and cabinets, all laden with weapons of various sizes and makes. Jackpot.

"Did you search him for weapons?" Ryder's question boomed out and Leo jerked his attention away from Skye and the evidence.

Sam flinched next to him. "No sir," he mumbled, obviously terrified.

"Idiot boy," Ryder hissed, walking up to Leo without taking his eyes off of Skye. There was a small gun in his hands as well. "Do it now."

Turning to him, Sam had a pleading look in his eyes, begging Leo to cooperate.

In his peripheral vision, Leo saw Skye deliberately and slowly angle her head towards her confiscated night-night gun. The weapon was far enough behind Ryder to be out of his direct sight, but Sam had a clear view on both the gun and Skye. And the kid was armed and scared. Not a good combination. But Skye's plan was the only plan they had - Leo just hoped that it involved more than using him to distract Ryder and didn't rely on Sam too heavily. However, he had a feeling that that was exactly her plan.

"It's over Ryder; you lost," Leo taunted the man with all the bravado he could muster as Sam relieved him of his weapon. "You were stupid enough to lead me right to your warehouse, giving me all the evidence I need to put you away for life."

Skye inched closer to the gun. If Sam noticed, he didn't say anything. At least, not yet.

Ryder's mouth curled up into a cruel smile. "What makes you think that you and your little wife are leaving this room?"

"Don't need to," Leo lied, trying not to flinch away from Ryder's stare. "It's called 'backup."

The gun was now only inches from Skye's outstretched hand and Sam still hadn't alerted Ryder. So far so good.

"Whatever agency you're from is pathetic," the man spat derisively. "It can't even teach its operatives to lie properly." Then, without warning, Ryder whirled on his heel and pointed his gun straight at Skye, who was just about to grasp the weapon. "I don't think so," he snarled.

There was a gunshot.

Leo screamed, an agonized sound that was torn out of his mouth as he saw Skye fall heavily to the ground, the night-night gun landing in front of her.

Then, a white-hot heat burrowed into his arm, burning his flesh and adding physical pain to his emotional anguish.

They had failed.

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_Okay, I promise things aren't as bad as they seem, so review and let me know if you're excited for the conclusion!_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Whew, it's been quite a journey with this fic! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and followed. I hope you all enjoy the last chapter =)._

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Everything was happening so fast. Skye's brain was struggling to process all the events. She had heard a gunshot as she had dove to the ground, bringing the night-night gun with her. Then another shot had sounded accompanied by an anguished scream - Leo's anguished scream. Her heart had dropped and tears had filled her eyes. It was at that moment that she realized what she should have known all along: she was in love with Leo. And it might be too late to tell him.

Amidst the confusion, Skye managed to force herself to get control and grab the night-night gun which was only inches in front of her. Then, gun in hand, she stood and in one smooth motion and pointed the barrel at where she had last seen Ryder.

He wasn't there.

His back was to her, but he was pointing a gun at Sam, who had somehow lost his weapon and was slowly backing up, his fear evident on his face.

"You betrayed me," Ryder hissed, the words just barely discernable through the adrenaline pumping through Skye's veins. In the corner of her eyes, she could just make out Leo's body lying on the ground in a pool of red blood. She forced herself not to think about that.

"After all I did for you, you abandon me at the end."

"You were going to kill her," Sam begged, his words coming out almost as sobs. "I couldn't let you kill her."

"You should have."

"I beg to differ," Skye broke in and aimed the night-night gun, shooting Ryder before he was able to turn all the way to see her. He dropped immediately, the sedative taking effect instantaneously.

"Is he dead?" Sam asked her quietly, still looking terrified. Skye realized that she was pointing her gun at him now and quickly lowered it. Sam wasn't a threat. Not anymore.

"No," she answered curtly, rushing to Leo's side. "Just incapacitated him. And I don't know what you did to save my life, but thanks." She knelt down next to Leo, ignoring the blood soaking into the fabric of her pants.

_Please don't be dead. Please please please._

Skye checked over his body, trying to find the source of the warm blood. He was still breathing, so not dead. It was only slightly comforting. Until she found and wrapped the wound, Leo wasn't out of danger.

Finally, she sighed with relief as she saw that the bullet wound was in his arm and, though it was bleeding profusely, it wasn't a life-threatening wound. Immediately, she ripped his sleeve all the way open and fashioned a makeshift tourniquet out of the fabric, bandaging the wound as best she could without more materials.

"I pushed him. Before he could shoot." Sam's voice startled Skye; she had forgotten that he was there. "Please don't send me to jail."

Her heart went out to the young man. He was clearly manipulated and terrified and thus not responsible for his actions, but that still didn't make his situation easy. "I think I can work something out," she muttered as she retrieved Leo's phone from his pocket (Ryder had thrown hers away when he had kidnapped her) and dialed Coulson's private number.

He picked up immediately. "Skye?"  
"Found the weapons and took out Ryder, but Leo's been shot," she said, her voice still sounding rough from the tears that she had nearly shed. "Nothing life-threatening, but we need backup."

"Where are you?" Coulson didn't waste time asking pointless questions and Skye appreciated it.

"The engineering school," she replied, then proceeded to give him a detailed account of how to find their precise position.

"We'll be there soon," Coulson promised, the phone connection unable to hide the concern in his voice. The line then disconnected.

"Skye?" Leo's voice weakly called her name, his eyes fluttering open. "What happened?"

"You were shot," she responded, tears filling her eyes, this time because she was so happy that he had woken up. "And then you passed out."

"You're not hurt?" His uninjured arm reached out and took her hand, even the slight movement making him wince. "I thought you were dead."

Skye sniffed and clutched his hand. "Well, I thought you were dead, so I guess we're even?"

"Let's not make a habit of this," he chuckled weakly. "And Skye? I love you."

His declaration surprised Skye - it had come out of the blue, but it echoed her sentiments perfectly. "I love you too, Leo," she whispered.

…

Backup came shortly.

Coulson quickly ordered Simmons to tend Fitz's wound and Ward to cuff and carry the unconscious Ryder off to be imprisoned. Other agents that Skye didn't recognize started grabbing boxes of weapons and lugging them out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Coulson asked, taking her arm and leading her away from Leo so that Simmons could have room to work without being disturbed.

"Yeah. Fine. Glad that's over."

"We all are," Coulson agreed. "It'll be good to have you and Leo back on the team."

"It'll be good to be back," Skye agreed automatically, but she started fingering her wedding band and wondered if she really was happy to see the end of the mission.

…

"Welcome back." Skye leaned forward over Leo's hospital bed in the Bus's lab. "I was beginning to think that you were going to sleep forever."

Leo scowled at her, but then broke into a smile. "We did it, right? Ryder's gone?"

Skye smiled back, only slightly sadly. "Yeah, it's all over now."

Immediately, Leo's expression morphed into sadness. "Oh, right."

Ducking her head, Skye mumbled, "I think I'm going to miss being Mrs. Smith." It was hard for her to admit, even after her admission to Leo that morning.

"I won't."

Startled, Skye met his eyes, seeing a confidence in Leo's eyes that she didn't usually see. "What?" she demanded, the hurt setting in.

"I don't want you to be Skye Smith. I think Skye Fitz has a much better ring to it."

Skye gaped at him. "What?" That was the only word she seemed to be able to say.

"Not right now," Fitz hastily reassured her. "But one day. Maybe. If you want, I mean."

"Maybe." Skye leaned over and pressed her lips to his, unsure about what the future would bring, but knowing that right now, all that mattered was that she and Leo were alive, in love, and happy.

Leo deepened the kiss and pulled her on top of him so they were both on the small bed. She giggled without breaking the contact, relishing in the feel of his lips on hers.

Make that alive, in love, and deliriously happy.

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_Please leave a final review!_

_~Caitlin51_


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